Interference averaging and interference resource groups in a wireless communication system

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatuses, and systems are described related to interference averaging to generate feedback information and interference averaging to demodulate receives signals. In embodiments, an evolved Node B (eNB) may transmit interference averaging information to a user equipment (UE) including a time domain averaging indicator indicating a time domain averaging window to be used by the UE for averaging interference measurements in a time domain or a frequency domain averaging indicator to indicate a frequency domain averaging window to be used by the UE for averaging interference measurements in a frequency domain. Additionally, or alternatively, the eNB may transmit an interference resource group (IRG) indicator to the UE to indicate an IRG over which the UE is to perform interference averaging to facilitate demodulation of signals received by the UE from the eNB.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/732,851 filed 3 Dec. 2012 and entitled “AdvancedWireless Communication Systems and Techniques,” the entire disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to wirelessnetworks and more particularly to interference averaging andinterference resource groups in wireless networks.

BACKGROUND

In some wireless communication networks, such as Long Term EvolutionAdvanced (LTE-A) networks, a user equipment measures interference on achannel of the network to generate channel state information (CSI)feedback. The UE sends the CSI feedback to an evolved Node B (eNB).However, the UE is not restricted to a time or frequency interval overwhich to average interference for generation of CSI.

Additionally, many UEs have interference-aware receivers that takeinterference measurements into account when decoding signals receivedfrom the eNB. The UE uses separate interference measurements for eachphysical resource block (PRB) of the channel, and is prohibited fromaveraging the interference measurements over a plurality of PRBs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitatethis description, like reference numerals designate like structuralelements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by wayof limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a high-level example of a networksystem comprising a user equipment (UE) and an evolved Node B (eNB), inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method for generating feedback information based oninterference averaging information in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for managing feedback information generatedby a UE in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method for demodulating signals received from aneNB based on an interference resource group (IRG) in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for defining an IRG and notifying the UE ofthe IRG in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an example system that may be used topractice various embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are notlimited to, methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatusesfor interference averaging and using interference resource groups in awireless communication system.

Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described usingterms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey thesubstance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that alternate embodiments maybe practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes ofexplanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrativeembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatalternate embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Inother instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in ordernot to obscure the illustrative embodiments.

Further, various operations will be described as multiple discreteoperations, in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understandingthe illustrative embodiments; however, the order of description shouldnot be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily orderdependent. In particular, these operations need not be performed in theorder of presentation.

The phrase “in some embodiments” is used repeatedly. The phrasegenerally does not refer to the same embodiments; however, it may. Theterms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless thecontext dictates otherwise.

The phrase “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). The phrases “NB”and “A or B” mean (A), (B), or (A and B), similar to the phrase “Aand/or B.”

As used herein, the term “circuitry” refers to, is part of, or includeshardware components such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit(ASIC), an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared,dedicated, or group) and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) thatare configured to provide the described functionality. In someembodiments, the circuitry may execute one or more software or firmwareprograms to provide at least some of the described functionality.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a network environment 100 in accordancewith various embodiments. The network environment 100 includes a userequipment (UE) 104 wirelessly coupled with an evolved Node B (eNB) 108of a radio access network (RAN) via an over-the-air (OTA) interface. TheRAN may be part of a 3GPP LTE Advanced (LTE-A) network and may bereferred to as an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network(EUTRAN). In other embodiments, other radio access network technologiesmay be utilized.

The UE 104 may include a communication device 112 that implementsvarious communication protocols in order to effectuate communicationwith the eNB 108. The communication device 112 may be a chip, chipset,or other collection of programmed and/or preconfigured circuitry. Insome embodiments, the communication device 112 may include or be part ofbaseband circuitry, radio-frequency circuitry, etc.

The communication device 112 may include transceiver circuitry 116 towirelessly communicate with the eNB 108 over a channel of a wirelesscommunication network (e.g., the RAN). The transceiver circuitry 116 maybe coupled with one or more antennas 120 of the UE 104 to transmitwireless signals to, and/or receive wireless signals from, the eNB 108.

The communication device 112 may further include interferencemeasurement circuitry 124, feedback circuitry 128, and demodulationcircuitry 132 coupled to the transceiver circuitry 116. The interferencemeasurement circuitry 124 may be used to measure interference and/ornoise on the channel over which the UE 104 communicates with the eNB108. The feedback circuitry 128 may use one or more of the interferencemeasurements to generate feedback information, such as channel stateinformation (CSI), associated with the channel. Additionally, oralternatively, the demodulation circuitry 132 may use one or more of theinterference measurements to demodulate signals received by the UE 104from the eNB 108.

In some embodiments, the interference measurements used to generate thefeedback information may be different from the interference measurementsused to demodulate signals received from the eNB 108. For example, theinterference measurements used to generate feedback information may beperformed on CSI-interference measurement resource elements (CSI-IM REs)of the channel. The interference measurements used to demodulate signalsreceived from the eNB 108 may be measured on cell-specific referencesignals (CRSs) or UE-specific reference signals transmitted by the eNB108.

It will be appreciated that the connections between the circuitry of thecommunication device 112 shown in FIG. 1 are presented as an example,and some embodiments may include fewer, additional, and/or differentconnections between the circuitry of communication device 112.

The eNB 108 may include a communication device 136 that implementsvarious communication protocols in order to effectuate communicationwith the UE 104. The communication device 136 may be a chip, chipset, orother collection of programmed and/or preconfigured circuitry. In someembodiments, the communication device 136 may include or be part ofbaseband circuitry, radio-frequency circuitry, etc.

The communication device 136 may include transceiver circuitry 140 towirelessly communicate with the UE 104. The transceiver circuitry 140may be coupled with one or more antennas 144 of the eNB 108 to transmitwireless signals to, and/or receive wireless signals from, the UE 104.The communication device 136 may further include interference managementcircuitry 148 coupled to the transceiver circuitry 140.

In various embodiments, the transceiver circuitry 116 may receive, fromthe eNB 108, interference averaging information to be used by the UE 104for generating feedback information (e.g., CSI) associated with thechannel over which the UE 104 communicates with the eNB 108. Theinterference averaging information may be transmitted by theinterference management circuitry 148 of the eNB 108, via thetransceiver circuitry 140.

The interference averaging information may include a time-domainaveraging indicator to indicate a time domain averaging window to beused by the UE 104 for averaging interference measurements in the timedomain. In some embodiments, the interference averaging information mayadditionally or alternatively include a frequency domain averagingindicator to indicate a frequency domain averaging window to be used bythe UE 104 for averaging interference measurements in the frequencydomain. The frequency domain averaging window may correspond to a numberof frequency sub-bands of the channel over which the UE 104 is toperform interference averaging in the frequency domain. In someembodiments, the eNB 108 may transmit the time domain averagingindicator and/or frequency domain averaging indicator to the UE 104 viaradio resource control (RRC) signaling.

In various embodiments, the interference measurement circuitry 124 mayobtain a plurality of interference measurements associated with thechannel. For example, the interference measurements may include channelquality indicators (CQIs). In some embodiments, the interferencemeasurement circuitry 124 may measure the interference on one or more ofthe CSI-IM REs of the channel. The interference measurements may beseparated in the time and/or frequency domains. The interferencemeasurement circuitry 124 may average the interference measurementsbased on the interference averaging information to obtain an averageinterference for generating feedback information. For example, theinterference measurement circuitry 124 may average the interferencemeasurements in the time domain based on the time domain averagingindicator and/or average the interference measurements in the frequencydomain based on the frequency domain averaging indicator. If theinterference measurements include CQI, the interference measurementcircuitry 124 may average the CQI measurements to obtain an average CQI.

In various embodiments, the feedback circuitry 128 may generate feedbackinformation (e.g., CSI) associated with the channel based on the averageinterference obtained by the interference measurement circuitry 124. Forexample, the feedback information may include the average CQI obtainedby the interference measurement circuitry 124. The transceiver circuitry116 may transmit the feedback information to the eNB 108. The eNB 108(e.g., the interference management circuitry 148) may use the feedbackinformation to facilitate communications with the UE 104. For example,the eNB 108 may make scheduling decisions for the UE 104 based on thefeedback information.

Accordingly, the eNB 108 may use the interference averaging informationto control the parameters for interference averaging performed by the UE104 for generating feedback information. The eNB 108 may select the timedomain averaging window and/or the frequency domain averaging windowbased on traffic conditions on the channel and/or other factors. Forexample, in bursty traffic conditions, interference stations mayfrequently turn their transmissions on or off, making interferencemeasurements with larger averaging windows in time and frequencyinaccurate. In these cases, the eNB 108 may choose to use a shorter timedomain averaging window and/or frequency domain averaging window.Alternatively, in environments in which interference remains relativelyconstant, it may be desirable to use a longer time domain averagingwindow and/or frequency domain averaging window.

As discussed above, the interference measurement circuitry 124 mayperform the interference measurements on CSI-IM REs of the channel. TheCSI-IM REs may be designated for interference measurements forgeneration of CSI.

In some embodiments, the time-domain averaging indicator may indicate arelative weighting of interference measurements obtained on CSI-IM REsseparated in the time domain to use for interference averaging. Forexample, the time-domain averaging indicator may include a parameter, a,that is a value from 0 to 1, and the average interference in the timedomain, σ_(in) ²(n), that the UE 104 is to use to generate feedbackinformation may be given by Equation (1):

σ_(in) ²(n)=ασ_(in) ²(n−1)+(1−α) σ _(in) ²  (1)

where σ_(in) ²(n−1) is the previous value of average interference (priorto the most recently received CSI-IM RE), and σ _(in) ² is theinterference measurement on the most recently received CSI-IM RE.

In other embodiments, the time domain averaging indicator may indicatethe value of the time domain averaging window in another manner. Forexample, the time domain averaging indicator may indicate a number ofrecently received CSI-IM REs to use for interference averaging.

In some embodiments, the time domain averaging indicator may indicatethat the UE 104 is to limit interference averaging to a restricted timedomain averaging window or that interference averaging is unrestrictedin time. For example, the time domain averaging indicator may be asingle bit (e.g., transmitted via RRC) that has a first value toindicate that the UE 104 is to limit interference averaging to a singlesubframe or a second value to indicate that interference averaging isunrestricted in time.

As discussed above, the frequency domain averaging indicator mayindicate a number of frequency sub-bands over which the UE 104 is toperform interference averaging for generating feedback information. Insome embodiments, the frequency domain averaging indicator may be asingle bit (e.g., transmitted via RRC) having a first value to indicatethat the frequency domain averaging window includes a single sub-band(e.g., the UE 104 is to restrict interference averaging to singlesub-bands and not average interference across a plurality of sub-bands)or a second value to indicate that the UE 104 is to perform interferenceaveraging in the frequency domain across all sub-bands of the channel.If the interference averaging is restricted to single sub-bands, the UE104 may generate feedback information for individual sub-bands of thechannel. If the interference averaging is performed across all sub-bandsof the channel, the UE 104 may generate feedback information for thechannel based on the average interference across all the sub-bands ofthe channel.

In other embodiments, the frequency domain averaging indicator mayinclude more than one bit to indicate one of a plurality of options forthe number of sub-bands over which the UE 104 is to perform interferenceaveraging. For example, the frequency domain averaging indicator mayindicate a fraction of the total sub-bands of the channel over which theUE 104 is to perform interference averaging. Alternatively, oradditionally, the frequency domain averaging indicator may indicate anumber value of the number of sub-bands over which the UE 104 is toperform interference averaging.

Alternatively, or additionally, to the eNB 108 transmitting thefrequency domain averaging indicator to the UE 104, the UE 104 mayassume the number of sub-bands in the frequency domain averaging windowbased on a CSI feedback model associated with the channel. The UE 104may receive the CSI feedback model from the eNB 108. For example, theeNB 108 may instruct the UE 104 to use one of a plurality of configuredCSI feedback models. The CSI feedback model may indicate a type offeedback information that the UE 104 is to generate and send to the eNB108.

In some embodiments, the UE 104 may restrict interference averaging tosingle sub-bands in the frequency domain based on a determination thatthe CSI feedback model supports sub-band CQIs. In this case, the UE 104may generate feedback information for individual sub-bands of thechannel. However, if the CSI feedback model does not support sub-bandCQIs, the UE 104 may perform interference averaging in the frequencydomain across all sub-bands of the channel. In some embodiments, theassumption of the frequency domain averaging window by the UE 104 basedon the CSI feedback model may be overruled by a frequency domainaveraging indicator received from the eNB 108.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 that may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE104) in accordance with various embodiments. In some embodiments, the UEmay include one or more tangible computer-readable media havinginstructions, stored thereon, that when executed cause the UE to performmethod 200.

At 204, method 200 may include receiving, from an eNB (e.g., eNB 108),interference averaging information. The interference averaginginformation may include a time domain averaging indicator and/or afrequency domain averaging indicator, as described herein.

At 208, method 200 may include obtaining a plurality of interferencemeasurements associated with a channel over which the UE communicateswith the eNB.

At 212, method 200 may include averaging the interference measurementsbased on the time domain averaging indicator and/or frequency domainaveraging indicator to obtain an average interference. For example, theinterference measurements may be averaged in the time domain based onthe time-domain averaging indicator and/or averaged in the frequencydomain based on the frequency domain averaging indicator.

At 216, method 200 may include generating CSI associated with thechannel based on the average interference.

At 220, method 200 may include transmitting the CSI to the eNB.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method 300 that may be performed by an eNB (e.g.,eNB 108) in accordance with various embodiments. In some embodiments,the eNB may include one or more tangible computer-readable media havinginstructions, stored thereon, that when executed cause the eNB toperform method 300.

At 304, method 300 may include transmitting interference averaginginformation to a UE (e.g., UE 104). The interference averaginginformation may include a time domain averaging indicator and/or afrequency domain averaging indicator.

At 308, method 300 may include receiving, from the UE, CSI that isderived based on the interference averaging information. For example,the CSI may be derived based on an average interference that is averagedin the time domain based on the time domain averaging indicator and/oraveraged in the frequency domain based on the frequency domain averagingindicator.

As discussed above, the interference measurement circuitry 124 of the UE104 may measure interference on the channel for demodulation purposes inaddition to or instead of measuring interference for generating feedbackinformation. The transceiver circuitry 116 may receive signals from theeNB 108 over a plurality of resource elements of the channel, with theresource elements arranged in physical resource blocks (PRBs). Theinterference measurement circuitry 124 may measure interference on CRSsor UE-specific reference signals transmitted on the channel (e.g.,within a PRB of the channel) by the eNB 108.

In various embodiments, the transceiver circuitry 116 may receive, fromthe eNB 108, an interference resource group (IRG) indicator to indicatea number of PRBs included in an IRG. The transceiver 140 of the eNB 108may transmit the IRG indicator to the UE 104. In some embodiments, theIRG indicator may be transmitted by the eNB 108, and received by the UE104, via RRC signaling.

The IRG may correspond to a set of one or more PRBs over which the UE104 is to assume the same interference for demodulation purposes.Accordingly, the interference measurement circuitry 124 may averageinterference measurements over the IRG. For example, the interferencemeasurement circuitry 124 may average the interference measurementstaken on all CRSs and/or UE-specific reference signals in the IRG.

In some embodiments, the interference may include interfering signalparameters such as precoding, power, modulation, and/or transmissionschemes. The average interference measurements performed by theinterference measurement circuitry 124 may include estimating theinterfering signal parameters and averaging the interfering signalparameters over the IRG.

The demodulation circuitry 132 may demodulate signals received from theeNB 108 on the IRG based on the averaged interference measurementsprovided by the interference measurement circuitry 124. For example, thedemodulation circuitry 132 may be included in an “interference-aware”receiver of the UE 104, and the averaged interference measurements mayfacilitate demodulation of signals received on the IRG. In someembodiments, the interference measurements may be used to scale softmetrics (e.g., log likelihood ratios (LLRs)) associated with bits of thereceived signals so that received bits that are more affected byinterference may provide less contribution to the decoding decisioncompared with received bits that are less affected by interference.Additionally, or alternatively, the demodulation circuitry 132 may beincluded in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) receiver of the UE104. For a MIMO receiver, the demodulation circuitry 132 may determinethe receive beamforming based on the interference measurements. Forexample, the demodulation circuitry 132 may form nulls in an adaptiveantenna pattern towards the interference direction(s). The adaptiveantenna pattern may be used to demodulate the received signal.

In some embodiments, the interference measurement obtained by theinterference measurement circuitry 124 for demodulation may include aninterference covariance matrix, R. For example, the interferencecovariance matrix, R, may be estimated by the interference measurementcircuitry 124 according to Equation (2) below:

$\begin{matrix}{\hat{R} = {\frac{1}{N_{p}}{\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N_{p}}\left\{ {\left( {y_{i} - {\hat{H_{\iota}}p_{i}}} \right)\left( {y_{i} - {\hat{H_{\iota}}p_{i}}} \right)^{H}} \right\}}}} & (2)\end{matrix}$

where y_(i) is a received signal vector on the resource elementsoccupied by the reference signals (e.g., CRSs or UE-specific referencesignals), Ĥ{circumflex over (H_(ι))} is an estimated channel matrix forthe resource elements of the reference signals, p_(i) is the referencesignal, and N_(p) is the number of reference signals within themeasuring region.

The estimated interference covariance matrix may include some errors,which may negatively impact the interference suppression of thedemodulation circuitry 132. Use of the IRG as discussed herein may allowthe UE 104 to average interference measurements over a plurality of PRBswhen it is practical to do so. Accordingly, the accuracy and reliabilityof the interference measurements may be improved.

In some embodiments, the IRG may include a plurality of PRBs that areadjacent to one another in the time domain. The IRG indicator mayinclude one or more bits to indicate a number of PRBs in the IRG.

In some embodiments, the IRG indicator may indicate that the number ofPRBs in the IRG is equal to one PRB, one precoding resource group (PRG)including one or more PRBs, or one resource block group (RBG) includingone or more PRBs. The PRG may correspond to a granularity of precodingassignments for signals sent to the UE 104 from the eNB 108. That is,the signals on all the PRBs of the PRG may include the same precoding.The RBG may correspond to a granularity of scheduling of channelresources for the UE 104. That is, transmissions to the UE 104 may bescheduled in RBGs.

For example, in some embodiments, the IRG indicator may include a firstvalue to indicate that the IRG corresponds to one PRB, a second value toindicate that the IRG corresponds to one PRG, or a third value toindicate that the IRG corresponds to one RBG.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, the IRG indicator may include asingle bit that has a first value to indicate that the IRG correspondsto a PRB or a second value to indicate that the IRG corresponds to asmaller one of a PRG or an RBG. If the interference measurementcircuitry 124 determines that the IRG indicator has the second value,the interference measurement circuitry 124 may determine a number ofPRBs in the PRG and a number of PRBs in the RBG based on a systembandwidth associated with the eNB 108. The number of PRBs in the PRGand/or RBG may vary according to the system bandwidth. For example, insome embodiments, the number of PRBs in the PRG and/or RBG may be asshown in Table 1:

TABLE 1 System Bandwidth (number of PRBs) PRG Size (PRBs) RBG size(PRBs) ≦10 1 1 11-26 2 2 27-63 3 3  64-110 2 4

Accordingly, the IRG indicator may be used to define the IRG size as thesmaller of the precoding granularity or scheduling granularity.

In various embodiments, the eNB 108 may select the IRG size (andgenerate the IRG indicator) based on the precoding granularity, thescheduling granularity, and/or other factors. For example, when theprecoding granularity and the scheduling granularity are a plurality ofPRBs, the interference may not change significantly over the PRBs of anindividual PRG or RBG. In these cases, use of the IRG by the UE 104 fordetermining interference for demodulation purposes may improvereliability and accuracy of interference measurements compared withusing separate interference measurements for each PRB of the PRG or RBG.

In some embodiments, the eNB 108 may receive the IRG indicator and/orthe granularity of one or more interfering parameters (e.g., precodinggranularity or scheduling granularity) from another eNB (e.g., via abackhaul link such as an X2 interface). The eNB 108 may then transmitthe IRG indicator to the UE 104.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 that may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE104) in accordance with various embodiments. In some embodiments, the UEmay include one or more tangible computer-readable media havinginstructions, stored thereon, that when executed cause the UE to performmethod 400.

At 404, method 400 may include receiving, from an eNB (e.g., eNB 108),an IRG indicator to indicate a number of PRBs included in an IRG.

At 408, method 400 may include generating an interference value for theentire IRG. The interference value for the entire IRG may be, forexample, an average interference of interference measurements associatedwith the IRG.

At 412, method 400 may include demodulating signals received from theeNB on the IRG based on the generated interference value.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 that may be performed by an eNB (e.g.,eNB 108) in accordance with various embodiments. In some embodiments,the eNB may include one or more tangible computer-readable media havinginstructions, stored thereon, that when executed cause the eNB toperform method 500.

At 504, method 500 may include determining a PRB granularity ofscheduling or PRB granularity of precoding for signals transmitted to aUE (e.g., UE 104) over a wireless communication network.

At 508, method 500 may include determining a number of PRBs in an IRGbased on the PRB granularity of scheduling or the PRB granularity ofprecoding.

At 512, method 500 may include transmitting, to the UE, an IRG indicatorto indicate the number of PRBs included in the IRG, wherein the UE is toperform interference averaging over the IRG to facilitate demodulationof the signals transmitted from the eNB to the UE.

The UE 104 and eNB 108 described herein may be implemented into a systemusing any suitable hardware and/or software to configure as desired.FIG. 6 illustrates, for one embodiment, an example system 600 comprisingone or more processor(s) 604, system control logic 608 coupled with atleast one of the processor(s) 604, system memory 612 coupled with systemcontrol logic 608, non-volatile memory (NVM)/storage 616 coupled withsystem control logic 608, a network interface 620 coupled with systemcontrol logic 608, and input/output (I/O) devices 632 coupled withsystem control logic 608.

The processor(s) 604 may include one or more single-core or multi-coreprocessors. The processor(s) 604 may include any combination ofgeneral-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphicsprocessors, application processors, baseband processors, etc.).

System control logic 608 for one embodiment may include any suitableinterface controllers to provide for any suitable interface to at leastone of the processor(s) 604 and/or to any suitable device or componentin communication with system control logic 608.

System control logic 608 for one embodiment may include one or morememory controller(s) to provide an interface to system memory 612.System memory 612 may be used to load and store data and/orinstructions, e.g., communication logic 624. System memory 612 for oneembodiment may include any suitable volatile memory, such as suitabledynamic random access memory (DRAM), for example.

NVM/storage 616 may include one or more tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media used to store data and/or instructions, e.g.,communication logic 624. NVM/storage 616 may include any suitablenon-volatile memory, such as flash memory, for example, and/or mayinclude any suitable non-volatile storage device(s), such as one or morehard disk drive(s) (HDD(s)), one or more compact disk (CD) drive(s),and/or one or more digital versatile disk (DVD) drive(s), for example.

The NVM/storage 616 may include a storage resource physically part of adevice on which the system 600 is installed or it may be accessible by,but not necessarily a part of, the device. For example, the NVM/storage616 may be accessed over a network via the network interface 620 and/orover Input/Output (I/O) devices 632.

The communication logic 624 may include instructions that, when executedby one or more of the processors 604, cause the system 600 to performoperations associated with the components of the communication device112 or 136 as described with respect to the above embodiments. Invarious embodiments, the communication logic 624 may include hardware,software, and/or firmware components that may or may not be explicitlyshown in system 600.

Network interface 620 may have a transceiver 622 to provide a radiointerface for system 600 to communicate over one or more network(s)and/or with any other suitable device. In various embodiments, thetransceiver 622 may be integrated with other components of system 600.For example, the transceiver 622 may include a processor of theprocessor(s) 604, memory of the system memory 612, and NVM/Storage ofNVM/Storage 616. Network interface 620 may include any suitable hardwareand/or firmware. Network interface 620 may include a plurality ofantennas to provide a multiple input, multiple output radio interface.Network interface 620 for one embodiment may include, for example, awired network adapter, a wireless network adapter, a telephone modem,and/or a wireless modem.

For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) 604 may be packagedtogether with logic for one or more controller(s) of system controllogic 608. For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) 604 maybe packaged together with logic for one or more controllers of systemcontrol logic 608 to form a System in Package (SiP). For one embodiment,at least one of the processor(s) 604 may be integrated on the same diewith logic for one or more controller(s) of system control logic 608.For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) 604 may beintegrated on the same die with logic for one or more controller(s) ofsystem control logic 608 to form a System on Chip (SoC).

In various embodiments, the I/O devices 632 may include user interfacesdesigned to enable user interaction with the system 600, peripheralcomponent interfaces designed to enable peripheral component interactionwith the system 600, and/or sensors designed to determine environmentalconditions and/or location information related to the system 600.

In various embodiments, the user interfaces could include, but are notlimited to, a display (e.g., a liquid crystal display, a touch screendisplay, etc.), speakers, a microphone, one or more cameras (e.g., astill camera and/or a video camera), a flashlight (e.g., a lightemitting diode flash), and a keyboard.

In various embodiments, the peripheral component interfaces may include,but are not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serialbus (USB) port, an audio jack, an Ethernet connection, and a powersupply interface.

In various embodiments, the sensors may include, but are not limited to,a gyro sensor, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, an ambient lightsensor, and a positioning unit. The positioning unit may also be partof, or interact with, the network interface 620 to communicate withcomponents of a positioning network, e.g., a global positioning system(GPS) satellite.

In various embodiments, the system 600 may be a mobile computing devicesuch as, but not limited to, a laptop computing device, a tabletcomputing device, a netbook, a smartphone, etc. In various embodiments,system 600 may have more or less components, and/or differentarchitectures.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described hereinfor purposes of description, a wide variety of alternate and/orequivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the samepurposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and describedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thisapplication is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of theembodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended thatembodiments described herein be limited only by the claims and theequivalents thereof.

Some non-limiting examples are provided below.

Example 1 includes an apparatus to be employed by a user equipment (UE)to generate feedback information, the apparatus comprising transceivercircuitry to: communicate with an evolved Node B (eNB) over a channel ofa wireless communication network; and receive, from the eNB,interference averaging information, the interference averaginginformation including a time domain averaging indicator indicating atime domain averaging window to be used by the UE for averaginginterference measurements in a time domain or a frequency domainaveraging indicator to indicate a frequency domain averaging window tobe used by the UE for averaging interference measurements in a frequencydomain. The apparatus of Example 1 further comprises interferencemeasurement circuitry coupled to the transceiver circuitry, theinterference measurement circuitry to: obtain a plurality ofinterference measurements associated with the channel; and average theinterference measurements based on the interference averaginginformation. The apparatus of Example 1 further comprises feedbackcircuitry coupled to the interference measurement circuitry, thefeedback circuitry to generate channel state information (CSI)associated with the channel based on the averaged interference; whereinthe transceiver circuitry is further to transmit the CSI to the eNB.

Example 2 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the interferenceaveraging information includes the time domain averaging indicator andthe frequency domain averaging indicator.

Example 3 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the frequencydomain averaging indicator includes a single bit that is to have a firstvalue to indicate that the frequency domain averaging window includes asingle sub-band of the channel or a second value to indicate that thefrequency domain averaging window includes all sub-bands of the channel.

Example 4 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the transceivercircuitry is to receive the interference averaging information via radioresource control (RRC) signaling.

Example 5 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the interferenceaveraging information includes the time domain averaging indicator, andwherein the time domain averaging indicator includes a single bit havinga first value to indicate that the time domain averaging window isrestricted to a single subframe, or a second value to indicate that thetime domain averaging window is unrestricted in the frequency domain.

Example 6 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the interferenceaveraging information includes the time domain averaging indicator,wherein the UE is to receive a CSI feedback model associated with thechannel, and wherein the feedback circuitry is to generate CSI forindividual sub-bands of the channel based on a determination that theCSI feedback model supports sub-band channel quality indicators (CQIs).

Example 7 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 6, whereinthe interference measurement circuitry is to measure interference on oneor more CSI-interference measurement (CSI-IM) resource elements (REs) ofthe channel to obtain the plurality of interference measurements.

Example 8 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 6, whereinthe interference measurements include channel quality indicator (CQI)measurements.

Example 9 includes an apparatus to be employed by an evolved Node B(eNB) to manage feedback information generated by a user equipment (UE),the apparatus comprising: transceiver circuitry to communicate with theUE over a channel of a wireless communication network; and interferencemanagement circuitry coupled to the transceiver circuitry, theinterference management circuitry to transmit, via the transceivercircuitry, interference averaging information to indicate a time domainaveraging window or a frequency domain averaging window over which theUE is to perform interference averaging to obtain an averageinterference used to generate channel state information (CSI) associatedwith the channel.

Example 10 includes the apparatus of Example 9, wherein the transceivercircuitry is further to receive the CSI associated with the channel fromthe UE.

Example 11 includes the apparatus of Example 9, wherein the interferenceaveraging information includes a frequency domain averaging indicatorhaving a single bit having a first value to indicate that the UE is togenerate CSI for individual sub-bands of the channel or a second valueto indicate that the UE is to generate CSI for the channel based on theaverage interference across all sub-bands of the channel.

Example 12 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 9 to 11,wherein the interference averaging information indicates the time domainaveraging window and the frequency domain averaging window.

Example 13 includes an apparatus to be employed by a user equipment (UE)to receive signals from an evolved Node B (eNB), the apparatuscomprising transceiver circuitry to: communicate with the eNB over aplurality of resource elements arranged in physical resource blocks(PRBs) of a wireless communication channel; and receive, from the eNB,an interference resource group (IRG) indicator to indicate a number ofthe physical resource blocks (PRBs) included in an IRG. The apparatus ofExample 13 further comprises: interference measurement circuitry toaverage interference measurements over the IRG to obtain one or moreaveraged interference parameters; and demodulation circuitry todemodulate signals received from the eNB on the IRG based on theaveraged interference parameters.

Example 14 includes the apparatus of Example 13, wherein the IRGindicator is to indicate that the number of PRBs in the IRG is equal toone PRB, one precoding resource group (PRG) including one or more PRBs,or one resource block group (RBG) including one or more PRBs.

Example 15 includes the apparatus of Example 13, wherein the number ofPRBs in the IRG corresponds to a granularity of scheduling of channelresources for the UE.

Example 16 includes the apparatus of Example 13, wherein the signalsreceived from the eNB on the IRG include a same precoding, power,modulation, or transmission scheme.

Example 17 includes the apparatus of Example 13, wherein the IRGindicator includes a single bit that has a first value to indicate thatthe IRG corresponds to a single PRB or a second value to indicate thatthe IRG corresponds to a smaller one of a precoding resource group (PRB)or a resource block group (RBG).

Example 18 includes the apparatus of Example 17, wherein theinterference measurement circuitry is to: determine that the IRGindicator indicates that the IRG corresponds to the smaller one of thePRG or the RBG; and determine a number of PRBs in the PRG and a numberof PRBs in the RBG based on a system bandwidth associated with the eNB.

Example 19 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 13 to 18,wherein the interference measurement circuitry is to perform theinterference measurements on cell-specific reference signals (CRSs) orUE-specific reference signals received from the eNB.

Example 20 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 13 to 18,wherein the PRBs in the IRG are adjacent to one another in the timedomain.

Example 21 includes one or more tangible computer-readable media havinginstructions, stored thereon, that when executed cause an evolved Node B(eNB) to: determine a physical resource block (PRB) granularity ofscheduling or a PRB granularity of precoding for signals transmittedfrom the eNB to a user equipment (UE) over a wireless communicationnetwork; determine a number of PRBs in an interference resource groupbased on the PRB granularity of scheduling or the PRB granularity ofprecoding; and transmit, to the UE, an IRG indicator to indicate thenumber of PRBs included in the IRG, wherein the UE is to performinterference averaging over the IRG to facilitate demodulation of thesignals transmitted from the eNB to the UE.

Example 22 includes the one or more media of Example 21, wherein theinstructions, when executed, cause the eNB to determine the PRBgranularity of scheduling and the PRB granularity of precoding, whereinthe number of PRBs in the IRG corresponds to a smaller one of the PRBgranularity of scheduling or the PRB granularity of precoding.

Example 23 includes the one or more media of Example 21, wherein the IRGindicator is to indicate that the number of PRBs in the IRG is equal toone PRB, one precoding resource group (PRG) including one or more PRBs,or one resource block group (RBG) including one or more PRBs.

Example 24 includes the one or more media of Example 21, wherein the IRGindicator includes a single bit that has a first value to indicate thatthe UE is to perform interference averaging over a smaller one of aprecoding resource group (PRB) or a resource block group (RBG), or asecond value to indicate that the UE is to perform interferenceaveraging over a single PRB.

Example 25 includes the one or more media of any one of Examples 21 to24, wherein the IRG indicator is transmitted to the UE via radioresource control (RRC) signaling.

Example 26 includes an apparatus to be employed by an evolved Node B(eNB), the apparatus comprising: means for determining a physicalresource block (PRB) granularity of scheduling or a PRB granularity ofprecoding for signals transmitted from the eNB to a user equipment (UE)over a wireless communication network; means for determining a number ofPRBs in an interference resource group (IRG) based on the PRBgranularity of scheduling or the PRB granularity of precoding; and meansfor transmitting, to the UE, an IRG indicator to indicate the number ofPRBs included in the IRG, wherein the UE is to perform interferenceaveraging over the IRG to facilitate demodulation of the signalstransmitted from the eNB to the UE.

Example 27 includes the apparatus of claim 26, wherein the means fordetermining the number of PRBs in the IRG include means for determiningthe PRB granularity of scheduling and the PRB granularity of precoding,wherein the number of PRBs in the IRG corresponds to a smaller one ofthe PRB granularity of scheduling or the PRB granularity of precoding.

Example 28 includes the apparatus of claim 26, wherein the IRG indicatoris to indicate that the number of PRBs in the IRG is equal to one PRB,one precoding resource group (PRG) including one or more PRBs, or oneresource block group (RBG) including one or more PRBs.

Example 29 includes the apparatus of claim 26, wherein the IRG indicatorincludes a single bit that has a first value to indicate that the UE isto perform interference averaging over a smaller one of a precodingresource group (PRB) or a resource block group (RBG), or a second valueto indicate that the UE is to perform interference averaging over asingle PRB.

Example 30 includes the apparatus of any one of claims 26 to 29, whereinthe means for transmitting is to transmit the IRG indicator to the UEvia radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

1-25. (canceled)
 26. An apparatus to be employed by a user equipment(UE) to generate feedback information, the apparatus comprising:transceiver circuitry to: communicate with an evolved Node B (eNB) overa channel of a wireless communication network; and receive, from theeNB, interference averaging information, the interference averaginginformation including a time domain averaging indicator indicating atime domain averaging window to be used by the UE for averaginginterference measurements in a time domain or a frequency domainaveraging indicator to indicate a frequency domain averaging window tobe used by the UE for averaging interference measurements in a frequencydomain; and interference measurement circuitry coupled to thetransceiver circuitry, the interference measurement circuitry to: obtaina plurality of interference measurements associated with the channel;and average the interference measurements based on the interferenceaveraging information; and feedback circuitry coupled to theinterference measurement circuitry, the feedback circuitry to generatechannel state information (CSI) associated with the channel based on theaveraged interference; wherein the transceiver circuitry is further totransmit the CSI to the eNB.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein theinterference averaging information includes the time domain averagingindicator and the frequency domain averaging indicator.
 28. Theapparatus of claim 26, wherein the frequency domain averaging indicatorincludes a single bit that is to have a first value to indicate that thefrequency domain averaging window includes a single sub-band of thechannel or a second value to indicate that the frequency domainaveraging window includes all sub-bands of the channel.
 29. Theapparatus of claim 26, wherein the transceiver circuitry is to receivethe interference averaging information via radio resource control (RRC)signaling.
 30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the interferenceaveraging information includes the time domain averaging indicator, andwherein the time domain averaging indicator includes a single bit havinga first value to indicate that the time domain averaging window isrestricted to a single subframe, or a second value to indicate that thetime domain averaging window is unrestricted in the frequency domain.31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the interference averaginginformation includes the time domain averaging indicator, wherein the UEis to receive a CSI feedback model associated with the channel, andwherein the feedback circuitry is to generate CSI for individualsub-bands of the channel based on a determination that the CSI feedbackmodel supports sub-band channel quality indicators (CQIs).
 32. Theapparatus of claim 26, wherein the interference measurement circuitry isto measure interference on one or more CSI-interference measurement(CSI-IM) resource elements (REs) of the channel to obtain the pluralityof interference measurements.
 33. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein theinterference measurements include channel quality indicator (CQI)measurements.
 34. An apparatus to be employed by an evolved Node B (eNB)to manage feedback information generated by a user equipment (UE), theapparatus comprising: transceiver circuitry to communicate with the UEover a channel of a wireless communication network; and interferencemanagement circuitry coupled to the transceiver circuitry, theinterference management circuitry to transmit, via the transceivercircuitry, interference averaging information to indicate a time domainaveraging window or a frequency domain averaging window over which theUE is to perform interference averaging to obtain an averageinterference used to generate channel state information (CSI) associatedwith the channel.
 35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the transceivercircuitry is further to receive the CSI associated with the channel fromthe UE.
 36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the interferenceaveraging information includes a frequency domain averaging indicatorhaving a single bit having a first value to indicate that the UE is togenerate CSI for individual sub-bands of the channel or a second valueto indicate that the UE is to generate CSI for the channel based on theaverage interference across all sub-bands of the channel.
 37. Theapparatus of claim 34, wherein the interference averaging informationindicates the time domain averaging window and the frequency domainaveraging window.
 38. An apparatus to be employed by a user equipment(UE) to receive signals from an evolved Node B (eNB), the apparatuscomprising: transceiver circuitry to: communicate with the eNB over aplurality of resource elements arranged in physical resource blocks(PRBs) of a wireless communication channel; and receive, from the eNB,an interference resource group (IRG) indicator to indicate a number ofthe physical resource blocks (PRBs) included in an IRG; interferencemeasurement circuitry to average interference measurements over the IRGto obtain one or more averaged interference parameters; and demodulationcircuitry to demodulate signals received from the eNB on the IRG basedon the averaged interference parameters.
 39. The apparatus of claim 38,wherein the IRG indicator is to indicate that the number of PRBs in theIRG is equal to one PRB, one precoding resource group (PRG) includingone or more PRBs, or one resource block group (RBG) including one ormore PRBs.
 40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the number of PRBs inthe IRG corresponds to a granularity of scheduling of channel resourcesfor the UE.
 41. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the signals receivedfrom the eNB on the IRG include a same precoding, power, modulation, ortransmission scheme.
 42. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the IRGindicator includes a single bit that has a first value to indicate thatthe IRG corresponds to a single PRB or a second value to indicate thatthe IRG corresponds to a smaller one of a precoding resource group (PRB)or a resource block group (RBG).
 43. The apparatus of claim 42, whereinthe interference measurement circuitry is to: determine that the IRGindicator indicates that the IRG corresponds to the smaller one of thePRG or the RBG; and determine a number of PRBs in the PRG and a numberof PRBs in the RBG based on a system bandwidth associated with the eNB.44. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the interference measurementcircuitry is to perform the interference measurements on cell-specificreference signals (CRSs) or UE-specific reference signals received fromthe eNB.
 45. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the PRBs in the IRG areadjacent to one another in the time domain.
 46. One or more tangiblecomputer-readable media having instructions, stored thereon, that whenexecuted cause an evolved Node B (eNB) to: determine a physical resourceblock (PRB) granularity of scheduling or a PRB granularity of precodingfor signals transmitted from the eNB to a user equipment (UE) over awireless communication network; determine a number of PRBs in aninterference resource group (IRG) based on the PRB granularity ofscheduling or the PRB granularity of precoding; and transmit, to the UE,an IRG indicator to indicate the number of PRBs included in the IRG,wherein the UE is to perform interference averaging over the IRG tofacilitate demodulation of the signals transmitted from the eNB to theUE.
 47. The one or more media of claim 46, wherein the instructions,when executed, cause the eNB to determine the PRB granularity ofscheduling and the PRB granularity of precoding, wherein the number ofPRBs in the IRG corresponds to a smaller one of the PRB granularity ofscheduling or the PRB granularity of precoding.
 48. The one or moremedia of claim 46, wherein the IRG indicator is to indicate that thenumber of PRBs in the IRG is equal to one PRB, one precoding resourcegroup (PRG) including one or more PRBs, or one resource block group(RBG) including one or more PRBs.
 49. The one or more media of claim 46,wherein the IRG indicator includes a single bit that has a first valueto indicate that the UE is to perform interference averaging over asmaller one of a precoding resource group (PRB) or a resource blockgroup (RBG), or a second value to indicate that the UE is to performinterference averaging over a single PRB.
 50. The one or more media ofclaim 46, wherein the IRG indicator is transmitted to the UE via radioresource control (RRC) signaling.